Scan barcode
peggymsu89's review
I know this is the dirt, the behind the scenes look at the Kennedy's, but I guess I wasn't quite ready for Camelot to go away.
rogermckenzie's review
challenging
informative
medium-paced
4.0
Superbly researched and written by one of the preeminent investigative journalists of all time.
joshknape's review
4.0
The most interesting piece of information in this book: John F. Kennedy won at least one state in the famously close 1960 presidential election--Illinois-- because the Mafia stuffed the ballot box(es) for him. I can't remember whether the book claims Illinois actually put Kennedy over the top, but it seems to me that that was the point.
wickedmitch's review
3.0
I don’t know exactly what I expected from this book but I couldn’t help but feel disappointment. Maybe the problem is I knew too much about JFK’s shadier side going in but it felt like little new information was provided by Hersh.
qwertyatty's review
4.0
The duplicity of the Kennedy brothers is highlighted in this book. Mind-blowing.
lindseysparks's review
3.0
Despite the author's credentials, a lot of this book remains speculation. As someone who doesn't like the Kennedys and is inclined to believe the worst of politicians, I am inclined to think this is all plausible even if i can't be sure about it. I've never understood the attraction of JFK. He's not that attractive. He's weird looking. I get the thrill of being with someone powerful, but I do not understand the fawning over his looks. Regardless, this was a fun, juicy book to read. My copy belonged to my husband's grandmother, who I never got to meet, and it was fun reading something she read, although from what I've heard about her it's hard it's hard ok imagine her reading about all the sex in this book! This book also got me in conspiracy mode. My new theory is that Joe ordered the assassination on his own son to keep scandals from coming out, thinking Ted could then run (until he created his own scandal). I don't actually believe that but this book made it fun to speculate. I also spent way more time than necessary reading about the living members of the family. I'm going to the JFK library soon so this was a fun even if not totally accurate read.
imyourmausoleum's review
informative
medium-paced
3.0
People tend to look back on the Kennedy Era as an idyllic time, when it really wasn't. John F. Kennedy was a human being, a spoiled, flawed one at that. He was not a faithful husband to his wife, and he was certainly a very busy father on a campaign trail and being a President. While there were some good things about JFK and his Presidency, he was certainly used and manipulated by those with more political power than him. Lyndon Johnson was a disgusting human being, and certainly played a large role in the Kennedy White House in more ways than one. Outside of the white house, JFK was reckless. He had plenty of relationships and one night stands, drank and used various drugs, and got himself into plenty of situations that were unbecoming for a prominent member of society and President. He certainly was an apple off his father's tree.
The author of this book is a distinguished investigative journalist and author. I enjoyed the writing style and the attention to detail presented in this book. I find the Kennedy family and their dynamics very fascinating, and have read a lot of material about them. I found this book at my local used book store, and grabbed it. I thought it presented the converse side of the coin of the family dynamics of some of these people. It was an enjoyable read.
The author of this book is a distinguished investigative journalist and author. I enjoyed the writing style and the attention to detail presented in this book. I find the Kennedy family and their dynamics very fascinating, and have read a lot of material about them. I found this book at my local used book store, and grabbed it. I thought it presented the converse side of the coin of the family dynamics of some of these people. It was an enjoyable read.